To lose one Deputy Police Commissioner is unfortunate, to lose two is careless, to misquote playwright Oscar Wilde.
In May, Jevon McSkimming resigned suddenly after child sex exploitation and bestiality material was allegedly found on his work devices, and last week Tania Kura announced she would soon retire after a 37-year career.
Both had been appointed to the statutory role at the same time in April 2023, though neither will see out their five-year term (which carries an annual salary in excess of $500,000).
Their early exits came shortly after a number of high-ranking police officers and staff had lost their positions in a restructure of the organisation’s hierarchy, ordered by the incoming new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers to reduce what he saw as a bloated bureaucracy.
The number of seats at the executive leadership table was cut from six to four, including Chambers, which left no room for Pieri Munro (deputy chief executive in charge of the iwi and community portfolio) and Chris de Wattignar (deputy police commissioner in charge of human resources).
However, unlike de Wattignar who had previously been promoted internally, McSkimming and Kura were exempt from the restructure because they were statutory appointments made by the previous Labour government, and independent from the Commissioner.
Restructures of the workforce are stressful, lower morale and create instability.
Under normal circumstances, to then lose a pair of senior staff members - especially in the circumstances of McSkimming - so soon after a tumultuous time of change could be damaging for an organisation.
But for Chambers, the departures of Kura and McSkimming solves a different problem.
Whether they be chief executives of businesses, or heads of government departments, newly appointed leaders naturally want to surround themselves with people they can trust to deliver their vision.
It’s particularly important when there’s a drastic change of vision, such as has taken place in the New Zealand Police since the National-led government appointed Chambers in November.
Previous police commissioners certainly haven’t hesitated to promote their favourites into positions of influence, even if that meant creating new roles that didn’t exist.
But Chambers’ ability to refresh his leadership team has been somewhat hamstrung because of his decision to restructure the top hierarchy of Police National Headquarters, which resulted in a net loss of 19 roles (and an estimated annual saving of $2 million).
There are now literally fewer jobs to fill, and those hoping for promotion under Chambers have realised they might have to bide their time for a bit longer.
With McSkimming and Kura now leaving the New Zealand Police edition of musical chairs, there are now empty seats at the top table that need to be filled.
As previously reported by the Herald, Jill Rogers and Mike Pannett were the obvious candidates to replace McSkimming after his resignation.
Both have been seen flanking Chambers at important meetings around Wellington this year, and each have acted in the deputy role on a temporary basis during McSkimming’s absence.
Rogers is currently relieving as deputy commissioner responsible for the northern police districts, while Pannett is the Assistant Commissioner in charge of national security and international partnerships.
There had been rumours that, if Pannett was overlooked for the deputy job in favour of Rogers, he could be tempted to join former police commissioner Mike Bush in Melbourne.
Bush has recently been appointed as the new Police Commissioner for the state of Victoria and there was speculation that Pannett, who recently spent three years on secondment to the Australian Federal Police, would be shoulder-tapped as a valuable ally.
But with Kura’s retirement now opening up a second vacancy, it’s possible both Rogers and Pannett could be appointed as deputies to Chambers.
There will be other contenders.
Tusha Penny, Bruce O’Brien and Mike Johnson, all currently Assistant Commissioners, have all been mentioned in police circles as possible candidates to put themselves forward.
It’s also not unheard of for the officers in charge of the 12 police districts to make the jump straight into a deputy commissioner role.
Superintendent Tim Anderson, the Bay of Plenty district commander, is respected by staff for his operational nous and support for the frontline, and also has a working relationship with Chambers dating back to when they were young detectives in Auckland.
Whoever puts themselves forward for consideration can expect the vetting process to be rigorous, given the revelations which led to McSkimming’s resignation.
The statutory role is important within the constitution framework of the police and carries a safeguard of independence from the Police Commissioner.
If Chambers was to be incapacitated, for example, the senior deputy (which until recently would have been McSkimming) would assume office until a new commissioner was appointed.
In announcing Kura’s retirement last week, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said the Public Service Commission had started the recruitment process to replace her and McSkimming.
A PSC spokesperson said the job description and timing for when the position is advertised are yet to be finalised, in consultation with Mitchell and the Prime Minister Chris Luxon.
He said the average recruitment process takes four to six months.
Once the PSC provides advice on the candidates - including whether nominees meet the ‘fit and proper’ criteria - Luxon recommends the preferred candidate to the Governor-General who officially makes the appointment.
Jared Savage covers crime and justice issues, with a particular interest in organised crime. He joined the Herald in 2006 and has won a dozen journalism awards in that time, including twice being named Reporter of the Year. He is also the author of Gangland, Gangster’s Paradise and Underworld.